By Amanda Cleary Eastep

Our creative journeys can sometimes feel like wandering in the desert—the isolation of the work, doubts in our abilities and relevancy, the silence of audiences . . . the “long obedience” [Nietzsche] in the direction of the “promised land” of success (however we or society define that). But once we cross the imagined border, will we find a land flowing with milk and honey, with accolades and royalty checks?

In 2019, after more than 40 years of writing and dreaming, of doubting my talent and God’s plan, of striking rocks when obedience didn’t produce the results I wanted quickly enough, I signed a contract to write four children’s books. At last, I’d reached the place promised to my ancestors . . . or at least the seven-year-old girl who’d felt called to write books.

Despite the fact I’d been writing for decades and had been edited hundreds of times, the first bit of criticism had me questioning whether I was cut out to be an author after all. I questioned God too. So, of course I searched Scripture for a pat verse of encouragement to cling to during the three-year publishing process…

Read the rest of this essay at Cultivating Oaks Press.